1. Field Of The Invention.
The present invention relates to a medical appliance for use by persons who have undergone a urostomy, and more particularly, to an improved guard for shielding an ostomy pouch at the connection of the pouch to the stoma of the ostomy patient.
2. Description Of The Prior Art.
Indivduals who have undergone a permanent urostomy are disposed or required to wear an ostomy pouch. The pouch is attachable to the abdomen of the ostomy patient at the urinary opening, referred to as the stoma, for collection of fluid matter discharged therefrom, thereby allowing the individual to move about unrestrained by remotely connected collection apparatus. Typical ostomy pouches comprise an elongate bag member constructed of a flexible material, such as plastic, and adapted at one end with an annular member, or flange. The flange may be positioned around the stoma and held against the abdomen providing a fluid-tight connection between the pouch and stoma. In one widely used form, the flange of the ostomy bag may be secured to the abdominal skin of the ostomy patient through the use of an adhesive film. The film serves the dual function of supporting the ostomy pouch on the abdomen while providing an environmentally sealed connection to the stoma.
Ostomy pouches of the foregoing type have gained wide acceptance because of their overall convenience in use. Once the flange has been secured to the abdomen of an ostomy patient, it is capable of providing an enviromentally sealed connection to the stoma over extended periods of time. When it is desired that the pouch be emptied, the user may merely unplug the drain at the bottom of the pouch, leaving the flange adhesively secured to the abdomen. However, the adhesive film of typical ostomy pouches is degraded by exposure to water. Thus, should the user wish to shower bathe on a regular basis, the flange will become prematurely detached from the abdomen and require replacement in order to maintain the desired seal around the stoma. As a consequence of frequent changing of the flange, irritation of the peristomal tissue and abdominal skin results.
Additionally, it will be understood that ostomy pouches function merely as container devices and afford little protection of the stoma. Thus with body movement or accidential impact to the abdomen or pouch, the ostomy patient may experience incidents of pain resulting from irritation of the stoma. Accordingly, it is desirable to protect the stoma against such trauma through the use of a relatively rigid guard member. A guard for use in cooperation with an ostomy pouch is disclosed, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 2,675,002, issued to D. J. Cesare on Apr. 13, 1954. Ostomy guards as heretofore known have had the disadvantages of being inconvenient or uncomfortable to use, or of being too cumbersome to be worn unobtrusively with everyday clothing.